Classroom Listening Inventory
How & How Well Do You Listen in Class
12 January 2007

Inventory developed by Robert Bohlken, Northwest Missouri State University; published in TheTeaching Professor (Jan 1993): 3–4.

NB: There are no right nor wrong answers to these questions. The questionnaire is simply a mechanism to see if there are ways you can improve your classroom listening skills, and what you might want to ask your Instructor to do to help with your efforts to listen well in class.

1. What classroom characteristic interferes most with your listening to a classroom lecture?
1. Temperature
2. Chalkboard and wall colors
3. Outside noise
4. Noise created by other students in class
5. Other ____________________
2. What characteristics of mine interfere most with your listening to my classroom lectures?
   1. Voice, speech rate, and/or accent
   2. Thought organization
   3. Movement and behavior
   4. Appearance
   5. Vocabulary
3. In the classroom where you listen best, where do usually sit?
   1. Front left
   2. Front center
   3. Front right
   4. Middle
   5. Back
4. In the classroom where you listen best, how often does the instructor look at you?
   1. Very often
   2. Often
   3. Sometimes
   4. Seldom
   5. Very seldom
5. How often do I look at you while I am lecturing?
   1. Very often
   2. Often
   3. Sometimes
   4. Seldom
   5. Very seldom
6. What personal characteristic interferes most with your listening to my class lectures?
   1. Tired
   2. Hungry
   3. Not interested in subject
   4. Preoccupied
   5. Daydreaming
   6. Other _____________
7. In the classroom where you listen best, how do you respond to the course?
   1. Eye contact with teacher
   2. Nod; acknowledge teacher's comments with facial expressions
   3. Take notes
   4. Ask questions
   5. Anticipate what will be said
   6. Other ________________________
8. How do you respond to me while I am lecturing?
   1. Eye contact with teacher
   2. Nod; acknowledge my comments with facial expressions
   3. Take notes
   4. Ask questions
   5. Anticipate what I will say next
   6. Other ________________________
9. At what time of the day do you listen best to classroom lectures?
   1. Early morning
   2. Mid-morning
   3. Around noon
   4. Mid-afternoon
   5. Evening
10. Why did you choose this time for this course?
    1. Only one available
    2. Fit my schedule
    3. Considered my best time to listen
    4. Instructor
    5. Other ____________________
11. What is the nature of the lecture content to which you listen best?
    1. Personally relevant
    2. Familiar vocabulary and organization
    3. Well-supported with example and comparison
    4. Dynamic
    5. Visually aided
12. For what purpose do you listen in the class in which you listen best?
    1. To pass a test
    2. To relate to the instructor
    3. To satisfy an interest in the subject
    4. To learn new knowledge
    5. To apply information to self-improvement
13. For what purpose do you listen in this classroom?
    1. To pass a test
    2. To relate to the instructor
    3. To satisfy an interest in the subject
    4. To learn new knowledge
    5. To apply information to self-improvement
14. When you take notes in this class, do you ...
    1. Write down terms?
    2. Use a sentence outline?
    3. Paraphrase?
    4. Use topic outline?
    5. Other?
15. What single factor influences your listening behavior most in this class?
    1. The room
    2. The instructor
    3. Your purpose/attitude
    4. Your physical and mental states
    5. Other students